Check and Mate
by Texan Red Rose
Summary: A collection of one shots for Monochrome. Check individual chapters for notes.
1. Fortune

**Disclaimer:** For Monochrome Week 2018, Day 1: Rags to Riches

* * *

Weiss picked up the paper, brows rising as she took note of the sale being advertised for their local supermarket. They'd just done their grocery shopping a week ago but they still had more than enough room for dry storage and freezer space, so it might be worth it to dig through the coupons. Then again, they didn't have too much wiggle room in the budget, not after putting down the first payment on their new SUV. She'd need to pull out the checkbook and a calculator, see if they could take advantage or just let the sale pass them by.

As she turned to head back into the house, she reached down into her pocket and pulled out her scroll, bringing up the page for Hunter assignments and refreshing it. After they'd worked so hard to eek out a victory over Salem, it never occurred to any of Team RWBY that it might have a drastic effect on the rest of their lives. However, with the broodmother of darkness removed, Grimm numbers dwindled, to the point where the occupation they'd dedicated so much of their youth to pursuing had all but dried up entirely. A sigh left her lips as the page confirmed what she'd feared, that no new Grimm had been spotted in Remnant, and aside from a request for a combat instructor for the Mistrali military, there weren't any jobs available for her to take.

It chaffed at her, sometimes. A mild annoyance.

Her skill set veered closer to that of a traditional businesswoman outside of her combat prowess but with her brother now controlling the SDC- and running it into the ground rather spectacularly- and limited options elsewhere, well… she really had her hands tied.

Closing the front door behind her and setting the rest of the mail aside, she took the coupons to the kitchen table before ducking over to the desk they had tucked into the corner, grabbing the checkbook and calculator before returning. She sat down, prepared to crunch numbers to pass the time, but paused for a moment as she caught sight of the picture they had hung up on the wall.

Hardly an hour after the final battle, before the reality that they'd won and survived had sunk in all the way. They were bloodied and ragged and half dead but oh so happy, with Ruby and Yang both sporting mile wide smiles with their arms thrown around their partners' shoulders, the mangled pieces of the elder's prosthetic not appearing to dampen her mood in the slightest. Between them, Weiss and Blake slumped against each other, an arm around each other's waist as they put everything into staying on their feet, offering smiles of their own, though only Blake managed to look at the camera. Weiss was too busy looking at the Faunus beside her, weary from the fight but absolutely alive with their victory fresh in her mind.

For all the troubles they'd encountered since that day, she wouldn't trade it for the world. Better to struggle now than to be sitting on the brink of extinction and fending off Grimm every day.

Even if it _did_ make her question some things from time to time.

Shaking her head, Weiss began sifting through their finances and the coupons, setting aside the ones that might be useful with a little mark in the corner. She wouldn't bother clipping them until she'd talked it over with Blake, especially since this would put them rather tight until the next paycheck came.

She spent so long doing the math, she hardly noticed the passing hours until the door burst open, loud laughter filling the house as the kids raced their way into the dining room.

"We're home!" Blake called out, a bit late to be an announcement but welcomed all the same, and Weiss had to bite back a laugh as the Faunus stepped into the doorway with one twin attached to each leg while their sisters clamored for Weiss' attention.

"Mom! Mom!" Their eldest bounced on the tips of her toes beside Weiss' chair while the baby of their little family practically climbed into her lap, eyes shining with mirth. "You'll never guess what happened at school today!"

"Oh, I'm sure I won't, but I'll try anyway, shall I?" She wrapped her arms around her youngest, ensuring she didn't accidentally tumble while humming softly. "Did you get a good grade on a test?"

"Nope!"

"Hmmm, they have pizza for lunch?"

"Yeah, but that's not it!"

"Well, you know, honey, I'm stumped." Blake finally made her way into the dining room, bending down to press a kiss to the top of her head while looking down at their sons with a wry grin. "Why don't you tell Mom what happened?"

"I got a girlfriend!"

Weiss blinked while keeping her smile in place, looking down at her ecstatic ten year old daughter for a moment before glancing up at her wife. From her own experience, she knew only of arranged meetings between young people- she vividly recalled her own father introducing her to 'suitors' as far back as her eighth birthday- and had little idea of how young was _too_ young to entertain such things as girlfriends.

But amber eyes gave no indication of worry or concern.

"That's wonderful, honey." She looked back down, smiling a little wider. "You're going to be good to her, right?"

"Uh huh!" Their daughter nodded vigorously. "We held hands all day! I'm gonna be as good as Momma is!"

"Now _that_ is the perfect benchmark to aim for," she replied, leaning over to press a kiss to the top of her daughter's head. "And I've no doubt you'll accomplish it. Just be careful not to let your studies suffer, okay?"

"Okay!"

"Alright, you four, go put your school stuff up. Dinner's in an hour," Blake said, managing to gently pry their sons from her legs and usher them towards their rooms, sighing as she returned and plopped down in the chair beside her wife.

"Rough day?" She put a hand on the Faunus' shoulders, rubbing gently at the tension she found there.

"I talked to my dad," she replied, passing a hand over her face. "He brought up me becoming Chieftain again."

"You know it's not a bad idea," she said gently, glancing back towards where their children had gone. "You would love a chance to lead the people of Menagerie and everyone loves our children."

She left unsaid how the majority of the Faunus remained wary of her, blood spilled in the Schnee name not so easily forgiven or forgotten. Weiss couldn't blame them and wouldn't; she realized it would take much more than defeating a common enemy to win people over.

Yet, Blake hadn't taken her father's position for exactly that reason. Not because she worried how others might react to Weiss- she'd proven time and time again that she would defend her wife against anyone- but because she knew full well how much guilt still rested on Weiss' heart, how much the failure to reclaim the SDC gnawed at her. Compounding that with constant reminders made her give pause.

However, the former heiress had no such concerns. Yes, it would be difficult, but her wife still had the steel edged resolve that had pushed her to leave home, to leave Adam, to attend Beacon, and to rejoin her team to fight the greatest evil of their time. Weiss had full faith that Blake could do wonderful things if in the right position and she would do whatever it took to support those efforts.

Blake took her hand and looked at her then, biting her lip. "Honestly, with the way bills have gone recently… a steady paycheck would be good."

"How do you think the kids will take the news?" Weiss glanced back towards the bedrooms again. "Do you think they even notice?"

"Honestly? No." She chuckled, shaking her head slightly. "They probably don't. We keep food on the table and Menagerie is just so used to getting by with less than the rest of Remnant." The Faunus paused, eyes unfocusing. "When I was a kid, before Dad turned over the White Fang to Sienna and we spent most of our time moving from rally to rally, I didn't even notice. I thought all Faunus lived like that and we were fighting for something better, something I could hardly understand. I never noticed that Dad didn't eat at every meal to make sure Mom and I had enough or that Mom used any fabric she could get her hands on to make new clothes for me rather than herself." With a sigh, she sat back in her chair. "I guess that's part of why I was so mad at the time. It… kinda looked like they'd given up when Dad handed over the White Fang, to go and live just a little bit better while others continued the fight. I didn't realize until I was older that they sacrificed so much for me and Faunus everywhere and they just reached a point where they could do more good here than out there."

"I think your experience is something that could benefit everyone, were you to take the position for yourself." Weiss rubbed a little more firmly. "You still want to fight, to make a difference. This is your chance."

Sitting back, Blake looked up at the ceiling for a moment, and they could distantly hear their kids beginning to kick up a fuss before they quieted down, likely realizing they'd get in trouble if they started playing before their school work was done.

"What about you?" Her wife looked at her then. "This affects you, too."

For a moment, she considered the pragmatic concerns. The bills and coupons, the potential backlash, the looks she still got when she went walking around without Blake there to discourage them. But then, it occurred to her how much her life had changed in ten years. She went from being the rich, lonely heiress to a company known the world over for its terrible practices to a woman without a solid means to support herself or her family, and despite how materialistically she'd lost so much… she couldn't help but feel blessed. Things were difficult now, true, but she had a loving wife and a happy family, a good relationship with her sister and friends who would go to the ends of Remnant for her and she for them. She had love, more love than she'd imagined possible during those cold, lonely days in that too big mansion for a too small little girl.

But for all that had changed, a few specific things certainly hadn't.

"It does." Weiss smiled. "And as I've said it before: by your side is where I belong. Whatever mission you undertake, I'll be with you, and even if it takes twenty years, I'll do everything in my power to earn the respect of your people. We can't hurry that along but we _can_ work towards a brighter future." She reached out, grabbing her wife's hand. "Isn't that what we've always been trying to do? This seems like the next step." She shrugged. "But if you'd rather not, I understand. It truly is your decision, Love; I'll support you either way."

Even though Blake seemed to be mulling it over still, she could see the shine coming back to amber eyes, the drive to continue fighting for Faunus everywhere stirred once more.

"Mom was a big part of things." Staring off into the distance, she squeezed Weiss' hand back. "Even if Dad was officially in charge, Mom did a lot to keep things going. She still does, behind the scenes. _If_ I take the title, I'll need help."

"And you'll have it." Once, she believed that a person only succeeded based on their individual merits. Since then, she'd learned and grown so much, though. "Whatever you need, just let me know. I'm sure there's no challenge in this world that exists that we can't overcome."

Her father had once told her something similar, that being a Schnee meant they had more power, influence, and wealth than most could even fathom, and that they would never face a challenge that their riches couldn't overcome.

He'd been wrong on that front because he didn't truly understand what enriched a person's life. It wasn't money or prestige. It was something far more basic yet somehow so scarce.

Blake's expression softened as she leaned forward, drawing her into a sweet kiss. "I'll talk to my Dad tomorrow. I love you, Weiss."

She smiled at her wife so wide it hurt. "I love you, too."


	2. Truth and Fiction

**Disclaimer:** For Monochrome Week 2018, Day 2: Honesty. But then I got distracted.

* * *

Blake bit her lip, staring at the screen for a long minute before shaking her head and sighing. She pushed her chair away from her desk and leaned back, bonelessly sagging in her seat. The next installment of her signature series was due to come out within the next two years and she'd had the document open for the past week, with only the title filling it. Spread out across the desk, she had small booklets of notes for referencing, summaries of past plot points, a literal road map for the current book, but… absolutely no motivation to do any of it.

"What am I going to do?" The words almost echoed through the empty study, just as they rebounded around within the confines of her skull. She'd had her bouts of writer's block in the past but _this_ took the cake; she couldn't even decide where to start, much less _how_.

"Ah, the sounds of a writer hard at work." She looked up as her editor entered the study bearing a tray of food, a kettle, and a cup already steaming with hot tea.

"I haven't gotten _one word_ yet," she replied with a sour frown. "I don't think that qualifies as 'hard at work'."

"Writing is a process, Blake. Even the frustrating parts are necessary steps," Weiss said while setting the tray down on the only bit of the desk _not_ cluttered with papers. "So is keeping your energy up. Take a break."

In the back of her mind, she quite nearly lamented the days when she and the woman were constantly at each other's throats. They'd only started working together two books ago and it seemed like they spent more time arguing over little things than actually working on the book, discussing themes and overarching plots and cliches and all manner of nitpicks. Clearly, Weiss had read every one of her books, but sometimes the editor's inner fan got the better of her professionalism, and more often than not those were the times when Blake's defensiveness kicked in strongest. Not to mention she was dealing with a horrible bout of writer's block and a recent review had made her doubt the quality of her writing, her own abilities and her vision for the story, and she lashed out at Weiss as being like minded with that reviewer, even though time proved that to not be the case.

But the last few months? Well, they'd become… best friends, almost. She couldn't quite give that title to anyone aside from Yang, who'd stuck by her side since they were small, but she found herself talking to Weiss about things that had nothing to do with books just as often as they discussed deadlines and tours and the like.

"Blake." She looked up, seeing that Weiss had brought a chair over so they could eat together- tuna sandwiches, her favorite, and as blatant a pick-me-up as could be used in the situation. "I'm being serious. Take a moment to step back and eat. You're running yourself ragged."

"We have to have at least the first chapter done by the end of the week or we won't get paid." Another sigh left her lips. " _I_ have to, I mean, and the longer I take, the less time you have to do your part."

"Don't worry about me." She waved off the concern. "If you think I can't bully my way into buying some time, you've clearly forgotten who you're dealing with. Regardless, that paycheck can't be cashed by a dead person, and you're stretching yourself too thin at present."

"I appreciate the concern-"

"You'll appreciate it better on a full stomach." With a shake of her head, she leaned over, snagging one of the sandwiches and picking up the cup. Chamomile, nice and relaxing, and a rather nice compliment to the tuna. "Can you tell what part is keeping you stuck?"

Blake frowned, looking over at her stack of notes. "I just… can't seem to get anything going."

"Well, what's the first thing Gambol needs to deal with? Any of the plot threads lingering from the other books?"

She bit her lip. Frankly, she had an idea of where to begin, because the last book left off with her heroine taking a break from the freedom fighting to return home and get some much needed perspective. Previous installments had made mention of an old flame lingering and she'd teased a few potential love interests along the way, primarily because she intended to use this installment to develop Gambol's love life before heading into the tail end of the series…

… she just had no idea _how_ to introduce the one who would ultimately fall in love with the stalwart heroine. Or… even _who_ it was, because planning it out had made her lean one way, but now that she'd written so much of the story, her thoughts had… changed.

"I was thinking it might be time for Gambol to have a love interest," she said, pausing to take a sip of her tea. "She's earned herself a break from the action. Why not go for something a little softer?"

"It would be an interesting direction to take the story." Weiss hummed softly. "But I wonder, who could you possibly set her up with? She can't date just anyone."

A flicker of a smile passed over her lips; she'd drawn out the fan side of her editor, the part that didn't care what would sell, but about the story and characters themselves.

"Who do you think it should be?" She tilted her head. "I was thinking about bringing her old flame back-"

"You can't be serious." A light scowl came to the woman's expression. "Their relationship ended so badly. I can understand mending their bond but I don't think they could ever be together romantically again."

"And why's that?"

"Well, a romantic relationship requires a significant amount of trust and open, honest communication. In contrast, Gambol and Rains _used_ to be close, but I don't think they'll ever achieve that amount of trust again. Somewhere in the back of their minds, they're going to remember that their friendship was sacrificed over something as trivial as minor quibbles, and while overcoming that could help them both grow, I don't think it's entirely healthy for them to do that growing together." Weiss sat back in her seat, nodding almost to herself. "Although, it _could_ work, if they truly delved deep into the heart of their issues, if they acknowledged their transgressions against the other and did serious work to improve them."

"Do you psychoanalyze all _your_ friends, too?" She raised a brow, amused at the way her editor's eyes rolled.

"While I would _love_ to delve into the differences between real life and fictional concerns, I think it's more important to acknowledge that friends are… more often kept to degrees. You have the people whom you call 'friend' in passing, because it's easier than saying 'that person I happen to know but don't really make an effort to spend time with' and then there are those whom you've known for years but you couldn't be sure what to get them for Christmas, if you were obligated to get them something at all." She made a gesture with her hand. "And then there's your _best_ friend, like you and Yang- thick as thieves and tighter than the seam. Yang knows things about you no one else does, and your romantic partner should be on _that_ level of 'friend', and while you can maintain a friendship with others who might never reach that level, basing a romantic relationship around a bond like that doesn't seem like the optimal choice, am I right?"

"So, who then?" Blake set her tea down. "Her Lieutenant?"

A look of annoyance crossed her expression but the editor shrugged. "They have a good dynamic, I suppose."

"But?"

"Maybe he can be a little… much? Not that it's a bad thing…" Weiss hummed again. "I just think Gambol needs someone who is going to fully support her endeavors and, instead of going behind her back when they think she's in over her head, loudly proclaim that she means that much to them, that they will do whatever it takes to help her, but they don't want to be pushed away. Gambol has something of a habit of pushing people away, and someone needs to show her that, even if she's only trying to protect them from the carnage of the war, it's not right to isolate yourself and lose the battle within. That's as much part of the books as the actual fighting, and in that arena, Gambol remains the only person on her side. She needs someone in her corner to be not only her fan but her supporter in the literal sense of the word, to help her with her internal troubles as well as her external ones."

"Oh, like her former smuggling partner?"

"The one she left for dead and hasn't properly apologized to?" A finger wagged in her face. "Which, by the way, _that_ needs to be addressed, as well."

"Okay, okay." Blake leaned back, chuckling fondly. "All good points. Maybe I should just… leave any attempts at a romantic plotline alone."

"Now, that's nonsense." Weiss got up, pouring her another cup of tea and leaving the kettle while collecting up the remnants of their snack. "This is _your_ story, you should do what you feel is best for it."

"What if I don't _know_ what's best for it? What if I don't even know where to start?"

"Well, _I_ am not a writer, so I'm afraid my advice would be rather baseless." Before leaving the study, the woman shot a look over her shoulder. "But, if I was _going_ to give advice, I think I'd say something along the lines of: let the characters tell you."

Blake waited until after Weiss left to let her smile drop, a furrow coming to her brows as she mulled over the words.

Gambol needed someone, that much she knew- every plotline relied heavily on the heroine continuing to fight through impossible odds and she'd already proven that she needed a good, strong support network in order to face those challenges. Her personal struggles centered around damaged self worth and overcoming her own poor mental image of herself; developing deep friendships and repairing the relationship with her family had done a world of good towards setting her down the right path. Ultimately, Blake wanted to end the series with Gambol standing victorious at the end of the war, with enough of her friends and family surviving to make the victory feel _real_ , like she'd avoided a fate worse than death because she still had all those she would've lost had she remained complacent. But the romantic aspect- that part she wanted for a different reason. Friends and family were far easier to come by, in some respects, than a romantic partner, because both were forged by just the barest of excuses. A shared goal, a shared blood, a shared land- people could bond over anything, if they let themselves, and many characters had once been at least someone antagonistic towards Gambol but were won over by how hard she fought, by her passion and dedication to the cause. Romance, though, required more effort, and very little of it had to do with the war, which she thought would be important to showcase. That, even when it feels like there's too much on your shoulders, there's times to pursue little things that make you happy as well. Standing at the end of the journey with such a partner would be a massive victory in and of itself, or so the thought. Having someone standing beside Gambol, someone who'd seen her worst and her best, seen her fight and overcome and fail and break down, having… someone…

Someone like Weiss.

It hit her with the force of a truck. While many had speculated as to whether Gambol's adventures were merely wish fulfillment on Blake's part, she'd never confirmed or denied the allegations because, quite honestly, she _had_ mirrored many of Gambol's qualities after herself. But, that could be said for the majority of the story thus far, though far more dramatic and interesting than real life, of course.

And part of the reasons she'd struggled to even get started with this installment was because, at the onset, she figured she'd simply take the Pygmalion approach and model the character after what qualities she'd like most in a partner or, if she didn't feel up to that, go with whichever pairing seemed most popular among fans.

But that was before Weiss. Before she'd met the editor that had no problems bullying her into taking care of herself when she would rather cocoon herself in her covers, but would also bring her tuna sandwiches and tea when she needed the pick-me-up. Before they'd gotten into disagreements where they spent hours or days trying to understand where the other came from only to feel silly that the whole thing had spun out of control in the first place. Before Blake had invited the woman to live with her because bills were a hell of a thing and they could work together easier, with more flexibility this way. Before they'd really gotten to know each other…

Pulling her laptop towards her, Blake began typing furiously, searching through her notes for a moment to find the pages she needed before setting to the task with renewed vigor.

She had her motivation back. She'd found her muse.

* * *

Blake sipped her tea while doing her best not to betray her nerves, watching over the rim of the cup as Weiss read through the first chapter. She had her glasses on- such a rare occurrence, yet a welcomed one- and a red pen in hand, prepared to do a bit of editing before they sent the copy off to the publisher as proof of progress.

Frankly, she'd been less nervous when she submitted her first novel.

After what seemed like a short eternity, blue eyes flicked up to her just before the pages were rearranged. "Well… I believe it's a very strong start. But I… do have a question or two."

"Go ahead," she replied, heart hammering in her chest.

"I'm guessing this character that has Gambol so enthralled is to be her love interest?"

"Yes."

"I see." She flipped to a specific page. "'And then she looked up, her frustration warring with something much softer as the curse sitting on her tongue never left. Blazing blue eyes looked down upon her, vexation drawing white brows together, and her hair fell about her shoulders like rays of white moonlight. The scar over her left eye- healed now for many moons- called to Gambol's warrior pride, made the fresh wound in her side ache a bit from sympathy. And in that moment, she could feel a connection forge, something much deeper than she expected, so unfamiliar that it scared her as much as it intrigued her, for this warrior woman who had the nerve to challenge her had something else, too. Something Gambol was dying to see.' That's quite an… interesting description." Weiss subconsciously touched the scar over her left eye, something Blake hadn't been privileged to see until many months of working together, and even then by chance- they'd been caught out in the rain on the way back from the publisher and it had come down hard enough to wash away the make-up that usually concealed it. Since then, Weiss didn't often wear make-up if they weren't planning to leave for the day. "So I suppose the only question that remains is… why name her Myrtenaster?"

She'd chosen the name for a few reasons. For one thing, it was exceptionally uncommon by all accounts, seeing as she'd only ever heard of it when the editor mentioned having a dog when she was younger.

That was _his_ name, much like she'd named her main character after the cat she'd had as a kid.

"Because I figured 'Weiss' would be too transparent," she replied, bracing herself for whatever reaction she received.

Weiss nodded and set the pages down. Slowly, she stood up and walked around her desk, stopping in front of Blake's chair.

Then, she brazenly sat herself down in the writer's lap, a twinkle in her eyes as the words left her lips. "Took you long enough."

And then their lips met. Blake's eyes fluttered closed as her arms came up, wrapping around Weiss and holding her steady, pulling her close- honestly, she had no clue what she was doing, she just wanted more.

And when the first break came, she posed the question she'd wondered ever since the realization struck her, ever since she had the presence of mind to look back on Weiss' objections to Gambol's love interests. "How long have you felt this way?"

"Long enough to be angry at myself for not being honest about it." She smirked. "But not so long as to feel like a fool for biting my tongue, thankfully."

"Well, then, are you done proofreading the first chapter?"

"There's a few things I'd like to annotate… why?"

"Well, this book is going to focus a lot on romance." Blake smiled. "And I need first hand research material."

"You _could_ just ask me out on a date, you know." Weiss smiled and leaned down again, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "But I rather like this way. And I'm _more_ than willing to assist you with any 'research' you happen to require."


	3. Day Off

**Disclaimer:** For Monochrome Week 2018, Day 3: Holiday

* * *

Weiss gently groaned, slowly opening her eyes to glare at the bit of sunlight peeking in through the curtains. She _could_ roll over and be rid of the annoyance… but that would mean moving from her very comfortable spot, which she wasn't exactly inclined to do at present. Not when she had Blake's arm draped across her waist, pulling her in tight against a chest that rumbled with a content purr, her wife's face buried in her neck and their legs tangled together beneath the covers.

Normally, they'd both be up and hustling by the time the sun rose, trying to get the kids all fed, dressed, and dropped off in time for both Weiss and Blake to make it to work. But in light of the personal holiday, Winter and Yang had volunteered to take care of the kids so that the two could take full advantage of their wedding anniversary, which included sleeping in while cuddled up together.

So, now she faced a conundrum. Move and risk waking her wife so she might buy a few extra minutes of shut eye or stay right where she was and deal with the inconvenience.

Well, when phrased _that_ way… she truly didn't have much choice, now did she?

Closing her eyes to try and keep out the light, she sighed and relished the calm and quiet in the arms of her wife, a smile curling her lips. Almost twelve years of waking up this way and while the novelty had worn off a bit, it was replaced by a sort of… comfort, like a well worn pair of sneakers that could be slipped on for just about any occasion or a faded pair of jeans going threadbare at the seams. The familiarity of the position, the sound of Blake purring behind her, the weight of her arm around Weiss' waist… even if it had become an every day occurrence, the chance to soak it in and acknowledge it retained its charm.

Seeing as she had the time and wouldn't be falling back asleep, she mulled over their options for breakfast as the sun continued to rise and her wife slept soundly through the morning, shifting every now and again. Eventually, the purring tapered off to nothingness as the little movements became deliberate, lips ghosting against her neck and shoulder. Weiss couldn't help but smile, relishing the attention until she couldn't stand it anymore, rolling over to return the favor by pushing Blake onto her back and coaxing her into a proper kiss.

"Good morning," her wife said, the words mumbled and thick from sleep as her eyes fluttered open, lips curling into a lazy smile. "Have you been up long?"

"Not at all," she replied, voice considerably more clear than Blake's. "Are you ready to get out of bed yet?"

"Not really." Feline ears flicked, a momentary look of confusion coming over her expression before it smoothed out. Obviously, in the early morning fog, she'd forgotten that their children were off visiting their aunts. "Maybe we can put on a movie?"

"First, we're closing the curtains." Most would probably expect them to have a lavish dinner, rose petals strewn about the bedroom, and a candle lit night- and those weren't too far off, truth to tell. A few anniversaries were spent in exactly that fashion.

But, with the high tempo of their respective careers, with four children with boundless energy and the highest of hopes, with all the weight of their pasts, present, and future still clinging to their shoulders, taking some time to just… do _nothing_ aside from be with each other… it could be the best feeling in the world, really.

"That would require one of us getting up." Blake yawned, stretching her arms over her head. "Here's my offer: you take care of the blinds and get a movie started while I go make breakfast. Then we come back for breakfast in bed."

"Counter offer: _I_ go make breakfast because you did it last year."

"Counter counter offer: you cooked dinner the year before that and nearly burned the house down."

"It was _two years ago,_ Blake, honestly-"

"And how have the cooking lessons with Ruby been going?"

"Oh, fine." Weiss rolled her eyes. "I'll get the curtains. Any suggestions for a movie?"

"Surprise me," her wife replied with a peculiar glimmer in her eyes before leaning over and kissing her once more.

With that, they both headed off for their respective tasks. In the back of her mind, Weiss wondered when the curtains had been pulled back in the first place- they both preferred to spend what few sunlit hours they had out in the living room with the children, and their entire decor reflected their tastes for a bit darker an atmosphere- but found that thought cut short when she noticed something sitting on the windowsill.

A little stick she'd become _very_ familiar with, one she knew by heart, and that made discerning the little markings on it all the easier.

She blinked once, twice, before snatching it up and tearing out of the bedroom, heading down the stairs, and bursting into the entryway to the kitchen. There, she found her wife, smiling gently while nursing a morning cup of orange juice- not her usual tea.

"Blake?" She held up the pregnancy test, heart skipping a beat as she waited for the Faunus to nod.

"Surprise," she replied, setting down her cup in time to catch Weiss as she all but launched herself at her beloved wife, absolutely ecstatic. "So, I guess we're in agreement?"

"We both wanted a large family." Pulling back, she looked up into her love's face. "But I thought we agreed on no anniversary presents this year."

"Well, in my defense, _you_ started it."

With a laugh, they came together for another kiss, and already Weiss began mentally counting down the days until Blake's belly would be too big for her to be the big spoon comfortably. Even if she rather liked being cuddled when they went to bed, she'd acquired a taste for holding her pregnant wife as they slipped off to slumber.

She couldn't wait to inform her sister that she would be an aunt a fifth time over, though the conversation likely wouldn't come until the following morning, when their children came back from their little stay. Already, she could hear the jokingly chiding remarks. "How is it, the year we decide for things to be as low key as possible, we _still_ manage to have something big happen?"

"We're Belladonna-Schnees." Blake shrugged. "At this point, I think it's a law of the universe."

"Well, now that I know, you _can't_ cook breakfast alone." Weiss stole another kiss before moving to the fridge.

"I thought we'd agreed you'd stop being overprotective in the event I got pregnant again."

"No, I said I would _consider_ not being overprotective, and insisting on providing assistance isn't being 'overprotective', it's being considerate."

As she pulled the door open, arms slipped around her waist as Blake rested her chin on the top of her head, purring softly. "When am I going to learn to get everything you say in writing?"

"Probably about the time _I_ learn to stop fretting over little details."

"So, never."

"Precisely." She turned her head and was met with another kiss.

One of these days, they might actually manage to take a day off and unwind.

But not today, because even with short notice, Weiss had no intention of skipping out on a chance to pamper her beloved wife.

Her beloved, pregnant wife.


	4. This and That

**Disclaimer:** For Monochrome Week 2018, Day 4: Sharing.

* * *

Blake shivered, raising her gaze to scowl at the thick grey clouds overhead, her back pressed against the brick wall of the school as she sat at the far edges of the playground. All she wanted to do for recess was read her book but Vale's winters happened to be much colder than those in Menagerie and for the sixth time that day she wished they could go back home. She understood Mom and Dad had to come to Vale for their work- as much as a seven year old could understand, anyway- but it still seemed unfair for her to have to be there as well. She could've stayed home, gone to school like she was supposed to, and gone down to the docks for food whenever she got hungry. She could _definitely_ take care of herself.

Of course, she was only shivering at present because she'd disagreed with her Mom's advice to take a coat to school, because the weather was rather nice that morning, if a little chilly. Certainly not as cold as it was now with the wind blowing.

She just wanted to read her book.

"What are you doing?" Amber eyes snapped away from the foreboding clouds overhead to the girl who'd addressed her. They were probably the same age- she'd seen the girl during their lunch period- but they didn't share the same class. She almost seemed too… bright for her surroundings, and not in the way that some of the other kids were. They wore colorful shirts and jackets and shoes but this girl had nothing but white. White hair, white jacket, white skirt, white boots- it seemed the only color she had was in her blue eyes, which were narrowed in a scowl at present. "Shouldn't you be playing?"

"Shouldn't you?" Blake's feline ears laid back a little and she noticed how the girl's attention flicked to them briefly.

They both looked towards the playground, where the rest of their classmates were laughing and playing, running around and climbing whatever they could. "They're too loud."

"I think so, too," she said, looking down to her book. "That's why I'd rather read."

"Then why _aren't_ you reading?"

"Because I just sat down." She frowned, hating how the wind blew at that exact moment and made her shiver again.

"You're cold."

"… maybe." One day, she might learn to listen to her parents when they told her things. "It wasn't cold this morning so I didn't bring a jacket."

"But it's not cold. Not really."

"It's colder than Menagerie."

"It's not as cold as Atlas. That's where I'm from."

"You're not from Vale?"

The girl shook her head, a frown touching her lips. "We moved here for business." Huh. Seems they had a bit in common. As Blake mulled over that information, the girl took off her jacket and held it out. "Here. I'm not cold."

A bit of pride shone through; even if she made some miscalculations regarding the weather, she could handle the consequences without help. "I didn't ask for your jacket."

"And _I_ didn't ask you to take it." The girl frowned. "I'm telling you to so you can be warm and read. That's what you want, right? So just take it."

"You're not very nice, you know."

"And you're ungrateful." The girl snapped back, putting one hand on her hip and shaking her jacket. "I'm not telling you again."

With an exasperated sigh, Blake reached out and grabbed the garment, leaning away from the wall so she could throw it around her shoulders. It was small, so she didn't dare risk putting her arms through the sleeves and stretching it out, but it was thick enough that she immediately felt warmer just from having it around her shoulders.

Satisfied she'd finally given in, the girl came and sat beside her, gaze fixed on the playground.

But Blake didn't open her book just yet. "How long have you lived here?"

"Only a few days. Today's my first day at school."

"Mine was yesterday," she said, ears falling slightly. "I miss home."

"I don't." The girl shrugged. "There was nothing to miss."

"Don't you have friends back home?"

"Not really," she replied, still staring at the playground. "There were kids I talked to, but… they weren't my friends."

Blake frowned. Honestly, that was really the only part of home she missed. Of course she missed her old house and the swing set in the back but all that didn't matter without her friends to share it all with, and the idea of making new friends made her feel guilty for leaving her old ones behind. But what sort of person didn't even have friends to miss when they moved?

"My name's Blake," she said, holding out her hand. "Blake Belladonna."

"Weiss," the girl replied, shaking her hand and pointedly ignoring the way she was being watched expectantly. Finally, she sighed, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, resting her chin on top while muttering the rest. "Weiss Schnee."

Tilting her head to the side, she narrowed her eyes. The name sounded familiar- maybe her parents had mentioned it before- but she couldn't really place it. "Does that mean something in Atlas?"

"It means something everywhere." Weiss sighed and curled in tighter on herself. "It's why I don't have any friends. No one wants to be friends with Weiss but everyone wants to be friends with a Schnee." She paused. "Well… not everyone."

Blake sat back against the brick wall for a moment, then cracked open her book. But instead of going to the butterfly printed marker her Mom had gotten her, she opened it to the first page. "Do you like stories?"

For a moment, the girl didn't respond, but when she eventually looked over, her brow pinched in confusion. "There's no pictures. What's it about?"

"It's about a girl who's very smart and has lots of friends but she has a really bad family." A frown touched her lips. "My Mom and Dad would never act like this. It's hard to imagine parents being this mean to their own kid. But I like the main character."

Weiss scooted closer to her, trying to get a better look at the words on the page. "Does it have a happy ending?"

"I think so." But then, Blake had a better idea. "How about I read aloud? Mom says I should practice. I… get nervous speaking in front of the class sometimes."

"We can take turns." The girl nodded. "You can go first?"

"Okay." Blake smiled, ears perking up as they moved a little closer together. And then she began to read aloud, only stumbling over the words every now and again, with Weiss pressed against her side.

* * *

"-to be determined by the White Fang Council, henceforth abbreviated WFC, in conjunction with the governing body of Vale, for the betterment of human/Faunus relations, to include but not limited to- how can you read through these things day after day?" Blake lowered her hand, taking the thick stack of papers away so she could blink her eyes clear. "This is my third one and it's giving me a headache. It's just a mess of run-on sentences with flowery language thrown in rather than plain words."

"There's a world of difference between business contracts and legal proposals, my love," Weiss replied, setting aside a notepad she'd been using to jot down irregularities in the proposal and turning her head to press a kiss against the Faunus' cheek. "But I don't think you're wrong. Thankfully, Winter is more fond of the minutiae than I am. You're not as lucky."

"In some respects." Taking her father's place as the leader of the White Fang, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of Faunus all over Remnant, did come with its drawbacks. For one, it didn't feel right to ask her father for help unless the issue required more critical analysis than just what she could provide herself, because not only did she want anyone accusing her of not doing her fair share in leading the group but she also didn't want to worry him over every little thing that cropped up- of which there seemed to be a never ending supply. For another, she'd chosen to surround herself with those who hand concrete, firsthand knowledge of the living conditions in the various kingdoms, which meant they didn't always possess the ability to look at potential proposals objectively. Not necessarily a bad thing, as it kept them keenly aware of any shady wording, but it also brought with it the necessary consequence of never being satisfied, because undoing decades of discrimination simply didn't happen. It could be overcome but not undone and so many had failed to see that distinction. "But at least I have you."

"That you do." Weiss smiled, then reached over and grabbed the proposal, setting it aside with her notepad and grabbing a book from the end table. "How about a break? If you're starting to go cross eyed, then perhaps a distraction will help you relax. We can come back to this in a bit."

"You're just eager to get to the next chapter." Blake chuckled, wrapping an arm around her wife's shoulders. " It's not a bad idea. I'll go first-"

"Ah, no." A light tap against her nose discouraged her from taking the book from the woman's hands. "You're supposed to be relaxing, remember? I'll read."

Even after twenty years, Weiss' requests still sounded like demands and Blake had fallen in love with it, a fond smile touching her lips as she settled back, ears tilted forward to soak up every word as her wife began to read aloud.


End file.
